Scheduling office repairs outside working hours: what to plan for

Who in the building actually decides when and how work happens

If your office sits in a building with an apartment association or a commercial property manager, they set the house rules on working hours, lift use, and whose permission covers what. Even a fully commercial building usually has a manager or board who deals with maintenance access, deliveries and building systems.

It matters whether you rent or own the unit. Tenants generally need the landlord's or building manager's sign-off for anything beyond cosmetic work, especially if it touches shared systems such as ventilation, heating or the building's electrical distribution board.

Before booking, it is worth checking your lease for a maintenance or alterations clause. Many commercial leases require the landlord to be notified of contractor visits even when the work itself needs no permit, purely so the building knows who is on site.

Which jobs usually need sign-off before you book

Small, contained jobs — fixing a door closer, replacing light fittings, patching a wall, assembling furniture — rarely need anyone's approval beyond your own. These sit well within odd jobs, from 39 € per hour, and can be booked directly.

Anything affecting shared building systems is different. Work on the building's electrical distribution board, ventilation, or plumbing that serves more than your own unit typically needs the property manager's knowledge, sometimes their written consent. Structural changes and anything touching a load-bearing wall are outside what we take on at all; that always goes to a structural engineer or architect, and any permit question goes to the city or the building register.

When in doubt, describe the job to us and to the building manager in parallel. We can usually tell you whether it is the kind of work that typically needs sign-off; we cannot confirm permits ourselves, and the building register is the place to check anything that sounds structural or affects the building's technical systems.

• Cosmetic and furniture work: no sign-off usually needed
• Lighting and sockets within your own unit: check the lease, notify the manager
• Ventilation, heating, shared electrical systems: property manager involvement expected
• Anything structural or load-bearing: specialist assessment, not us, and a permit check with the city

Noise and working outside hours in a shared commercial building

A building with several tenants often has its own quiet hours, particularly if any unit is used for calls, filming, or client meetings on evenings you had not accounted for. It is worth asking the property manager whether other tenants need advance notice, not just permission.

Estonian noise rules apply to buildings the same way they apply to homes: louder drilling and cutting work is best kept to reasonable daytime and early-evening hours even when your own staff are gone, because neighbouring units may still be occupied. A quick note to the building group or noticeboard the day before avoids complaints landing on your desk afterwards.

If the job is genuinely quiet — assembly, painting, cabling that does not involve masonry — evenings and weekends cause little friction. Drilling into concrete, panel walls or floor slabs is the kind of work to schedule with the building's timing in mind rather than purely your own.

Access and arrangements when no staff are on site

Without a receptionist or office manager present, someone needs to get the contractor into the building and the unit. Options include a key or fob left with the building's concierge or manager, a lockbox, or a colleague who can meet briefly at the start and end of the job.

Tell us in advance which door or entrance to use, whether the lift needs a fob, and whether the building has its own sign-in procedure for contractors after hours. Buildings with security or a manned entrance sometimes need the visit registered a day ahead.

If the job involves the building's own electrical or mechanical rooms, someone with authority over those spaces — usually the property manager, not you — needs to either be present or have given clear access instructions in writing beforehand.

How the price and call-out fee work regardless of time of day

Our rates do not change for evenings or weekends: office and building maintenance runs from 49 € per hour, odd jobs from 39 € per hour, and electrical work — always carried out by a qualified electrician — from 49 € per hour, minimum one hour, then billed in 30-minute steps.

A call-out fee of 25 € applies within Tallinn and is deducted from the bill if the work goes ahead, whatever the hour. Outside Tallinn but within Harju county, or for larger jobs, we give a fixed quote valid for 30 days once we have a description or photos, so there is no surprise on the invoice.

The invoice itemises hours and work and is sent by email, payable within seven days. We are not VAT registered, so the figure quoted is the final one.

What to sort out before you make the booking

A short conversation with your property manager or landlord before booking saves a second visit later. Confirm whether the job needs their sign-off, whether other tenants need notice, and how access will work without staff present.

Have photos or a written description ready when you contact us, particularly for anything beyond a quick fix — it lets us give a fixed quote rather than an hourly estimate, and flags early if the job touches shared systems or looks structural.

We work around the clock for urgent jobs and take bookings for evenings and weekends as standard; an appointment can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead if plans change.